From the Pilot Plant to the Instrumentation R&D Lab, A 50 Year Adventure

I got my first job at Chevron Chemical in 1973, working with two chemical engineers supporting the fertilizer manufacturing plant near the R&D lab. I will describe the circuitous route that took me from climbing ladders outside the manufacturing plant to running an R&D lab developing chromatographic materials for an instrument company. The discussion will be limited to major highlights along the way, including the work that led to my first patent issued in 1981 while working at Clorox, the rediscovery of high-pH anion-exchange separation of carbohydrates, the development of the membrane suppressor, the development of hydroxide selective anion exchange materials, the invention of pressurized solvent extraction (ASE), and the development of hyperbranched anion exchange materials.